Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-12-01
A LETTER.

| Nix LDIiOR.-udNIuS tIdNclCu Ihol Z
than five thousand miles in different
parts of the eastern states Thought some
items might interest the many readers OF
your valuable paser.
My wife having gone on visit to In
diana | thought it best to follow. so l
started on the 18th Of the same month.
stopped of at Hutchinson and was
surprised to find the enterprise of that
city. A large number Of unfinished
buildings showed its wonderful progress.
| then went to Wichita. l found that
the transfers were few but the build
ing boom was marvellous. The half had
never been told That city is one of
which the people of Kansas may well be
proud, for she is the star that attracts at
tention to the west.
went to St Louis and took in the ex-
position, with its many sights worth see
ing. | need not stop to write of machine
~, of every description, and of products
of every country. The papers have been
full of this pass on to Washington, Ind.
This is one of the Oldest towns of the
state, it having been started while the
Indians yet claimed much of the country
i more than a century ago 1t has pop
ulation of seven thousand, but has no
water works and lacks many other i'm
provements western cities would have
had They think it wonderful that they
have succeeded in getting electric lights.
NV next town was Hamilton. which is
located on the Mania river This is a
manufacturing town of some Importance
A number of paper mills are in active OPP
Grafton. My next is Middletown. This
is noted for its tobacco factories. went
through one of these and was surprised
at the amount of filth connected with the
weed SO many like to chew. In this
case ignorance would be bliss, and all l
have to say is if you want to chew do
not 60 where it is manufactured.
went from here to Dayton, and thence
to Springfield. Here is located Buck S
machine shops, probably the largest in
the United States.
passed through Delaware and Ashley,
and found myself at Toledo. In this part
of the country they have the benefit OF
natural gas. They use it for fuel in their
homes and factories. l then went to
Columbus and visited the state buildings.
The penitentiary was of interest for l
found some of my old acquaintance
there The insane asylum is noted In
stitution of the state, having about 500
inmates at this time. { But presume you
are more interested in the crops through
these different states, and are wondering
how they compare with those of Kansas.
The crops in eastern Kansas, are no bet
ter than those of the west. Missouri is
better, but Illinois is much worse than
Kansas They have not sufficient water
for their stock and in some parts water is
being sold by the barrel
Indiana is passing through great tribu-
lations Some localities being supplied
with water by being hauled on the cars.
Some localities are fever stricken from
the use of impure water, and the end is
not yet Money is scarce, and the cry of
hard times is heard from every quarter
Ohio is nearly died up. On every side
you hear complaining of no crop, and
little money. Wells are going dry which
were never known to do so before.
Let me close by saying to the people of
Ford county, stay where you are. If
you think that by going back east you
will find less drouth. and more money
you will get left if you stop short of the
eastern slope of the Aleghanies
The wealthy and well to do farmer can
stand one Years failure of the east, SO
they can in Kansas How about the poor
and the renters of the east? They have
a hard fight for living, SO they do in
Kansas. The eastern poor have nothing
to recompense them for their suffering,
but the Kansas poor have their farms and
homes for which they toll and make sac
ratice, and look to the near future when
they shall be placed beyond the POSSIBLE
ity of want by years drouth. Let us
make the best out of our situation.
A READER OF THE TINES.